General Kevin Chilton—an astronaut who took the Eucharist to space—retired from the Air Force in 2011 as Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, a role in which he was responsible for the plans and operations of all U.S. forces conducting strategic nuclear deterrence and the Department of Defense’s space and cyberspace operations. During his 34 year career in the Air Force and NASA, he served as a fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut aboard three space shuttle missions, Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs for Asia, Pacific and the Middle East, Deputy Director for Air Force Programs, and Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Columbia University, and currently works as President of Chilton & Associates, LLC.
